Gift idea
Gift idea
Pratt Standard Classic Cocktail Syrup Set
A boxed trio of classic cocktail syrups with recipes, ready to wrap.
Best for Classic cocktail fans
2 ingredients · 5 minutes
Make simple syrup.
Equal parts sugar and water, warmed until clear. Tell us how much you need and we’ll do the math, in cups or grams.
of finished syrup
Syrup type
The method
How to make simple syrup
Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, heated just until the sugar dissolves. Stir 1 cup sugar into 1 cup water over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, cool, bottle, and refrigerate for up to a month.
The recipe
Classic simple syrup (1:1)
Ingredients for 1½ cups360 ml
You’ll need: small saucepan, swing-top bottle, mini funnel, kitchen scale, jiggersmall saucepan, swing-top bottle, mini funnel, kitchen scale, jigger
Method
-
Combine
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan.
1 cup200 g granulated sugar1 cup240 ml water
-
Dissolve
Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the liquid turns completely clear and you can't see any crystals, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don't let it boil.
-
Cool
Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. It thickens slightly as it cools.
-
Bottle
Funnel into a clean glass bottle or jar, label it with today's date, and refrigerate.
Storage. Keep it sealed in the fridge for up to 1 month. Cloudiness, floating specks or a sour smell mean it's time for a new batch. Want it to last longer? Make rich 2:1 syrup, which keeps about 3 months.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 32 kcal, 8.3 g sugar (estimate).
Need a different amount? Change it in the calculator at the top and this recipe follows.
Gifts · Nov 1 – Dec 20
Holiday gifts
A boxed syrup set, café cups or a pair of rocks glasses, or a long-keeping syrup you bottle yourself with a printed label and a tag.
Gift idea
Gift idea
Loveramics Egg Latte Cups and Saucers (300 ml)
Wide café cups shaped for latte art, the style many cafés use.
Best for Latte drinkers with a frother or espresso machine
Gift idea
Gift idea
Libbey Rocks Glasses (set of 4)
Heavy-bottomed glasses for an Old Fashioned over one big cube.
Best for Whiskey and Old Fashioned drinkers
Gift idea
Gift idea
Monin Coffee Syrup Mini Gift Set
A sampler of café syrup flavors in miniature bottles: enough to find a favorite.
Best for Stocking stuffers and coworkers
In season · Fall
Fall: syrups and drinks
Café syrups for the cozy season: pumpkin spice, maple, chai and caramel.
Coffee-shop35 min
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
pumpkin · cinnamon · clove
Sugar swaps2 min
Maple Simple Syrup
maple · caramel · woody
Spiced25 min
Chai Syrup
warm spice · cardamom · malty tea
Coffee-shop17 min
Caramel Syrup
toasted sugar · butterscotch · slightly bitter
Pumpkin spice latte
2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) per 12 oz latte: stir into 2 shots of espresso, add steamed milk, top with whipped cream and a dusting of spice.
Pumpkin Spice syrupMaple latte
1½–2 tbsp (22–30 ml) per 12 oz latte, with a pinch of cinnamon on top.
Maple syrupChai latte
2 tbsp (30 ml) in 8 oz (240 ml) steamed milk. Dust with cinnamon.
Chai syrupCaramel apple cider
1 oz (30 ml) in 8 oz (240 ml) hot apple cider, with a cinnamon stick.
Caramel syrup
Coming upThanksgiving Nov 26 · Christmas and the holidays Dec 25 · New Year's Eve Dec 31
Beyond the basic
Pick a flavor
Classics
6 recipes
Coffee-shop
16 recipes
Fruit
15 recipes
Herb & floral
9 recipes
Spiced
4 recipes
Sugar swaps
3 recipes
Bar specialties
7 recipes
Coffee-shop38 min
Vanilla Syrup
warm vanilla · creamy · floral
Herb & floral22 min
Lavender Syrup
floral · honeyed · herbal
Fruit35 min
Strawberry Syrup
ripe strawberry · bright · lightly tart
Fruit10 min
Homemade Grenadine
tart pomegranate · deep berry · floral
Fruit25 min
Blueberry Syrup
jammy blueberry · lemon · mellow
Classics8 min
Brown Sugar Syrup
molasses · toffee · warm
Coffee-shop8 min
Chocolate Syrup (Mocha Syrup for Coffee)
dark cocoa · bittersweet · vanilla
Spiced13 min
Ginger Syrup
fiery · zesty · warm
Fruit40 min
Raspberry Syrup
fresh raspberry · tart · floral
Real ingredients
From the pantry, not a lab
Café syrups are mostly sugar, water and flavoring. Make them with real fruit, herbs, spices and honey for a fraction of the price.
Now what?
What to make with it
Classic drinks from the books bartenders learn from, each with the syrup that makes it.
Old Fashioned familyRich 2:1
Old Fashioned
United States, 1880
SoursClassic
Daiquiri
Jennings Cox, Daiquirí, Cuba, 1898
Collinses and fizzesClassic
Mojito
Havana, Cuba
SoursAgave
Tommy's Margarita
Julio Bermejo, Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, San Francisco, 1990
SoursHoney
Gold Rush
T.J. Siegal, Milk & Honey, New York, 2000
TikiOrgeat
Mai Tai
Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's, Oakland, 1944
SoursRaspberry
Clover Club
Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, 1901
Alcohol-freeGrenadine
Shirley Temple
Hollywood, 1930s
With classic simple syrup Arnold Palmer, Bramble, Espresso Martini, French 75, Gimlet, Gin Basil Smash, Gin Fizz, Improved Whiskey Cocktail, Irish Coffee, Jungle Bird, Mint Julep, Pisco Sour and 8 more.
Optional, but nice
Gear that makes it easier
Our pick
Our pick
Otis Classic 16 oz Swing-Top Glass Bottles (6-pack)
Airtight swing caps keep syrup fresh for weeks, and 16 oz holds a full batch. Spare gaskets, labels and a marker included.
Best for Storing and gifting any syrup
Norpro Stainless Steel Mini Funnels (set of 3)
Narrow stems fit swing-top and dropper bottles, so you can fill without sticky spills. Stainless handles hot syrup.
Best for Filling bottles cleanly
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
The right size for a 1-2 cup batch. Stainless won't react with citrus, and the aluminum base spreads heat to avoid scorching.
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale (11 lb)
Weighing beats cups for sugar, so 1:1 and 2:1 syrups come out exact every time. Tare button and 1 g precision.
Best for Exact ratios, every batch
Questions people ask
What is the ratio for simple syrup?
Classic simple syrup is 1:1, one part sugar to one part water. Rich simple syrup is 2:1.
How long does homemade simple syrup last?
About 1 month in the fridge in a clean, sealed container. Rich (2:1) syrup lasts about 3 months, up to 6 in a sterilized bottle.
Do you have to boil simple syrup?
No. Heat it just until the sugar dissolves. Boiling evaporates water, which makes the syrup sweeter than intended.
How much syrup does 1 cup of sugar make?
1 cup of sugar plus 1 cup of water makes about 1½ cups of simple syrup, because the dissolved sugar takes up less room than the dry crystals.
Can I use simple syrup instead of sugar?
Yes, in drinks. Roughly 1½ tablespoons of 1:1 syrup matches the sweetness of 1 tablespoon of sugar.
What can I use simple syrup for?
Cocktails (Old Fashioned, Mojito, Daiquiri, Whiskey Sour), iced coffee and tea, lemonade, sodas, and brushing on cake layers to keep them moist.